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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25692517">When the Elephaeries have mumps</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/macosa/pseuds/macosa'>macosa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comedy, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not beta'd we die like men, Snufkin is not amused, the Joxter is trying</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:36:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,212</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25692517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/macosa/pseuds/macosa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Snufkin has a cold, and Joxter takes care of him. </p><p>Or at least, he tries...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joxaren | The Joxter &amp; Snusmumriken | Snufkin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>When the Elephaeries have mumps</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Translatation of a fic I wrote in Italian for a Hurt/Comfort challenge.</p><p>If you notice any errors, feel free to point them out to me!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  <em><strong>S</strong>n</em>ufkin jolted when the zip of his tent was suddenly opened.</p><p> </p><p>"Surprise, kitten! It's me!"</p><p> </p><p>Rolling his eyes to the sky (or rather, the ceiling of his tent) just before he sneezed for what was probably the hundredth time that morning, Snufkin decided that his father's smile wasn't worthy of a look, so he turned in his sleeping bag. His little body, overruned by tremors, could  distinctly feel the hard ground under him. He sneezed. One hundred and first time.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you catch a cold? You should keep warm, when you set off to the South, Mom even made a brand new warm scarf for you, and you're traveling during winter even if you're headed for a warmer place, in fact there's a snowstorm outside right now, and look, I made you some warm milk, and -"</p><p> </p><p>The Joxter was going on an on but Snufkin couldn't follow his ranting, his head just kept roaring at every sneeze.</p><p> </p><p>"I was just getting up" he interrupted. He tried to pretend that his lie was true, so he tried to get up, but then his strength left him and he fell on his back again. And he sneezed. Again.</p><p> </p><p>His father, who he now recognized as being covered in snow from outside - a pang of guilt seized him - glared at him sternly as he tenderly raised him up so he could drink the milk. The warm liquid sliding in his throat made him feel momentarily better.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, you won't. You must rest, son" said the Joxter. "You are exactly like your old man, so I know that you would rather ignore your cold and continue your travels as usual, but now I'm here and I won't let you risk your health like that".</p><p> </p><p>Snufkin, his Father's paw still under his head, glared at him.</p><p> </p><p>"Why did you follow me again? I told you that you could go - atchoo! - wherever you wanted or - atchoo! - stay at home!".</p><p> </p><p>Joxter looked back at him with pride.</p><p> </p><p>"Because it's a parent's duty, to see that his child is healthy!"</p><p> </p><p>Snufking had to force himself not to blow him a raspberry like a child. Not that he had the strength to.</p><p> </p><p>His parents had lost him when he was little and, for years, he had lived happily in solitude, without anybody pestering him to wear a warm shirt or to bring along the basket with homemade cookies with him.</p><p> </p><p>And he liked it that way! But then he had met them again by chance, and not those very same parents that had been so distracted that they had lost a baby, for crying out loud, pretended they were responsible vultures who wouldn't lose the sight of their kid for anything in the world. Well, that was what the Joxter did. The Mymble stayed at home to look after his twenty or so siblings, Heaven forbid she lost another baby. Ugh!</p><p> </p><p>His Father put a paw on his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>"You're feeling warmer than I thought" the Joxter said, his voice trembilng with worry. "Listen, sweetheart. You must forgive me but I'm going to bring you outside now".</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, what?" Snufkin whimpered.</p><p> </p><p>"There's a village, not far from here, that has a hospital. Or a clinic. Or something like that".</p><p> </p><p>"No way!" said the little, ill Mumrik. "I'd rather stay in my tent, you can leave. The cold will leave on it's own. It's not even the first time that I get sick -"</p><p> </p><p>But the Joxter picked him up as if he weighed nothing, sleeping bag included, and carried him outside. Snufkin's weak protests died as soon as the chill of the air hit him in the face. He curled up, shoving his face in his Father's neck.</p><p> </p><p>"I know, kitten, I know" he said tenderly. "Hang in there. The village isn't far from here".</p><p> </p><p>And so the Joxter leaned forward to shield his child as best as he could while they went through the storm and headed to the village.</p><p> </p><p>The door of the hospital, clinic, or whatever it was, opened with a creak.</p><p> </p><p>"Come inside!" said the little bearded man at the counter. His glasses were as big as his head, but his eyes were tiny and blank.</p><p> </p><p>"Pardon me, sir" said the Joxter, as he came in. The snow that was laying on him and his child immediately melted in the warm air. "This is a hospital, right? My son has a cold".</p><p> </p><p>"It's not exactly a hospital, more like a private business, but we do tend to sick people and give medicines to those who request them".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh" the Joxter sighed. Snufkin, his face still pressed on his Father's collar, let out an annoyed sigh in returnsospirò stizzito di rimando. Sapeva cosa stava pensando il padre.</p><p> </p><p>"The thing is... I don't have money with me but I could sell you my hat or-"</p><p> </p><p>The little man waddled around the counter and towards the two mumriks.</p><p> </p><p>"There is no need for that, my good man: we are a private business but we are motivated solely by compassion for those who are in need. We don't want money".</p><p> </p><p>"You are a saint!"</p><p> </p><p>"Come" the little man guided him to a small bed in a corner. "There's no need to say that. Put you child here".</p><p> </p><p>Snufkin was put on the bed.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you sure?" the Joxter was saying. "We're only passing by and there has to be other people who are in need of assistance".</p><p> </p><p>"Do not worry" the little man replied while he opened Snufkin's sleeping bag and tried to get him out of it. The small mumrik whined weakly now that he had nothing to shield him from the difference in temperature, but he complied. "Not many people live in this village, and this business is mostly for visitors like you".</p><p> </p><p>The little man shoved a piece of wood in Snufkin's mouth.</p><p> </p><p>"Now, say 'aaah'... Sir, this is most certainly just a cold, but just to be sure, while I visit your son, can you bring me one of the cold syrups that are on the right of the counter?"</p><p> </p><p>The Joxter dashed to the syrups, took one and ran back to his son's bedside. Snufkin had a furious look in his eyes, he surely would have preferred to remain in his tent instead of sharing the company of that eccentric little man, but the Joxter payed no mind to it.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, yes, it is indeed a cold" said the little man. "This boy only needs a spoonful of syrups and tomorrow he will feel like a new mumrik".</p><p> </p><p>"Pefect!" exclaimed the Joxter and, wishing to see his son be healthy once more, unscrewed the lid of the syrup and, without any warning, surprised everyone, himself included, by forcing the liquid down Snukfin's throat.</p><p> </p><p>He immediately realized that he had made a mistake.</p><p> </p><p>Snufkin tensed up for a moment and then - the horror! - he started to shrink until he vanished completely. Only his clothes remained.</p><p> </p><p>"No! What happened?! Snufkin!" cried the Joxter, turning now to his son's clothes on the bed, to the little man, and back to the clothes.</p><p> </p><p>"Do not worry, sir" the little man was saying, putting a hand on his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>"My son has disappeared! Oh, what shall I do now?" the Joxter lamented, paying no attention to the little man.</p><p> </p><p>"Sir, look..."</p><p> </p><p>"I did it again! I've lost him again because of my stupidity, and this time I've lost him forever!"</p><p> </p><p>"Actually, sir..." </p><p> </p><p>But the two man, one who was sobbing like a baby and the other who was kindly trying to calm him down, were distracted by the sound of a little sneeze coming from Snufkin's clothes.</p><p> </p><p>A little brown head came out from the shirt.</p><p> </p><p>The little Snufkin sneezed again and then glared at his father, who, in turn, had never been so happy to be glared at with sugh anger before.</p><p> </p><p>"Snufkin! You're alive!" he cried. He wrapped his squirming son in his clothes and held him so close that Snufkin almost had trouble breathing.</p><p> </p><p>"You have given him the wrong medicine" the little man said. "You should be more careful"</p><p> </p><p>"But I took the syrup on the right!" the Joxter complained, while Snufkin pulled his whiskers, trying to annoy him so that he would put him back on the bed.</p><p> </p><p>"On the counter's right or YOUR right?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh. Whoops".</p><p> </p><p>Both Snufkin and the little man let out a sigh. Joxter became redder than a tomato.</p><p> </p><p>"You took the syrup for the Elephaeries who have mumps" said the little man, shoving the syrup under the Joxter's eyes, so he could read the label. "In any case, do not worry. We don't have dangerous medicines. If you have misused the medicine - it's written here, look - you return normal within a night".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, thank heavens!" said the Joxter, with a sniffle. Finally, he put his son back on the bed. "If I had lost my Snufkin forever... Gosh, what would Mymble have said?" and for a moment he looked like he was going to cry again, to the dispair of the little man and Snufkin, who had to deal with him, but he managed to hold back the tears.</p><p> </p><p>The little man took a bottle of syrup, the correct one this time, and pulled a wooden spoon out of a drawer in the counter.</p><p> </p><p>"There" he said. "Since your son has... shrunk, shall we say, he will only need to drink a drop of syrup. And tomorrow, both his nose and his height will get back to normal".</p><p> </p><p>He put the wooden spoon near Snufkin on the bed. He unscrewed the lid of the syrup and poured a single drop on the spoon, so carefully and slowly that everyone, himself included, held their breath. Finally, he lifted the bottle and closed it with the lid once more.</p><p> </p><p>"If he drank any more of it, what would happen?" the Joxter asked, with a shudder.</p><p> </p><p>Nothing, just that tomorrow he would have a bit of a stomach ache" the little man laughed. " And then we would have to make him drink the syrup for stomach aches!"</p><p> </p><p>Snufkin crawled on the bed like a caterpillar, since he was wrapped still in his clothes, reached the spoon and drank the drop of syrup. He told himself that he was lucky to have shrunk, because the syrup didn't taste good at all and he didn't want to drink more of it. Then he realized that, at his current size, it didn't matter at all.</p><p> </p><p>"Ok, now you can stop worrying, sir. You can leave here your son for the night - I'm going to bring him a comfortable pillow and some blankets - and tomorrow he will be healthy again, and you can pick him up".</p><p> </p><p>The Joxter managed to not fall on his knees out of sheer relief.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, I don't want to bother you more, but counld't I also stay here for the night? I don't want to leave him all alone".</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, but of course! I'll bring you another bed, we have many more in the back".</p><p> </p><p>"I really don't want to bother you. Thank you, I can sleep on the floor".</p><p> </p><p>The little man laughed again. "Come on, I told you that we are here to help people. Not a bother, really".</p><p> </p><p>And so, the Joxter was given another bed, to be put near his son's, and both of them were given warm blankets and comfortable pillows.</p><p> </p><p>The little man told them that they could call him if they needed, and went to sleep in his room, leaving them alone.</p><p> </p><p>Joxter, his head blissfully rested on the pillow, looked at his son with a big, happy smile.</p><p> </p><p>Snufkin, whose sneezes had already subsided, glared at him coldly yet again.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, kitten. Today I really made a mess".</p><p> </p><p>"None of this would have happened, if I had stayed in my tent" said Snufkin, with such a little voice that his father smiled. Joxter remembered of the times his son was just as small, a pipsqeuak, and he used to carry him and sing him lullabies, and thought that he wouldn't have traded him for the world.</p><p> </p><p>"You're right" he said. "It's just that seeing you suffer makes me suffer as well... You've suffered because of me in the past and I don't want that to happen ever again. I love you, Snufkin".</p><p> </p><p>Snufkin turned around under his clothes and blankets. Joxter kept on looking at his little head, unable to take his eyes off him.</p><p> </p><p>"I love you too, Dad".</p><p> </p><p>The two fell asleep.</p><p> </p><p>When he woke up in the morning, Snufking happily noticed that he felt good. He coulnd't recall ever feeling so good before.</p><p> </p><p>While he readjusted his clothes on himself and folded the blankets on the beed -  the door of the little man's room creaking open, indicating that its owner was awake and was coming to see his patients - he looked fondly at his sleeping father.</p><p> </p><p>No, actually he was awake. He had his eyes closed and hadn't gotten up yet, but he was awake.</p><p> </p><p>"Goodmorning" said the Joxter weakly. "I'm glad to see you're feeling well". But he didn't look very healthy.</p><p> </p><p>"Dad" Snufkin raised an eyebrow. "Are you ok?".</p><p> </p><p>"Of course, I'm more than ok... Atchoo!".</p>
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